Girl Back Home 7 Years After Tsunami

A teenage Indonesian girl swept away in the Indian Ocean tsunami on Boxing Day seven years ago has been reunited with her family. Fifteen-year-old Wati was eight when the devastating tsunami wiped out the village of Ujong Baroh in Sumatra’s Aceh province. Her family survived the giant tidal wave but little Wati was carried away. The last time her mother saw her was when the water carried the little girl away. She was desperately clinging to her three children in an attempt to keep them all together, but her efforts were in vain as she lost her grip on Wati. Yusniar never thought she would see her daughter alive again. Wati’s family made several attempts to find her but no one reported seeing her alive.
A miracle happened last Wednesday when her grandfather Ibrahim, who lived in another town, got a visit from an acquaintance who was with a teenage girl. Wati had visited the old man in his coffee shop. She told him she was trying to get back to her village but did not know the way. Ibrahim suspected the teenager might be his long-lost grand-daughter but she could not remember any of her parents’ of relatives’ names, except Ibrahim’s. Wati’s identity was confirmed by her parents several days later from a mole and a scar above her eyebrow that she got when she was six years old. It is still unclear what happened to Wati in her seven-year absence. The deadly tsunami killed more than 150,000 people in several Indian Ocean nations. (Breaking News English)

First Thanksgiving

On the fourth Thursday of November, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, a national holiday honoring the early settlers and their harvest feast known as the first Thanksgiving.

Native Americans
Long before settlers came to the East Coast of the United States, the area was inhabited by many Native American tribes. The area surrounding the site of the first Thanksgiving, now known as southeastern Massachusetts and eastern Rhode Island had been the home of the Wampanoag people for over 12,000 years, and had been visited by other European settlers before the arrival of the Mayflower. The native people knew the land well and had fished, hunted, and harvested for thousands of generations.

The Settlers
The people who comprised the Plymouth Colony were a group of English Protestants who wanted to break away from the Church of England. These ‘separatists’ initially moved to Holland and after 12 years of financial problems, they received funding from English merchants to sail across the Atlantic to settle in a ‘New World.' A ship carryingl of 101 men, women, and children spent 66 days traveling the Atlantic Ocean, intending to land where New York City is now located. Due to the windy conditions, the group had to cut their trip short and settle at what is now called Cape Cod.

Settling and Exploring
As the Puritans prepared for winter, they gathered anything they could find, including Wampanoag supplies.
One day, Samoset, a leader of the Abenaki, and Tisquantum (better known as Squanto) visited the settlers. Squanto was a Wampanoag who had experience with other settlers and knew English. Squanto helped the settlers grow corn and use fish to fertilize their fields. After several meetings, a formal agreement was made between the sttlers and the native people and they joined together to protect each other from other tribes in March of 1621.

The Celebration
One day that fall, four settlers were sent to hunt for food for a harvest celebration. The Wampanoag heard gunshots and alerted their leader, Massasoit, who thought the English might be preparing for war. Massasoit visited the English settlement with 90 of his men to see if the war rumor was true. Soon after their visit, the Native Americans realized that the English were only hunting for the harvest celebration. Massasoit sent some of his own men to hunt deer for the feast and for three days, the English and native men, women, and children ate together. The meal consisted of deer, corn, shellfish, and roasted meat, far from today's traditional Thanksgiving feast.
They played ball games, sang, and danced. Much of what most modern Americans eat on Thanksgiving was not available in 1621.
Although prayers and thanks were probably offered at the 1621 harvest gathering, the first recorded religious Thanksgiving Day in Plymouth happened two years later in 1623. On this occasion, the colonists gave thanks to God for rain after a two-month drought. (National Geographic Kids)

10 Common expressions in English

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Steve Jobs dies

"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

Steve Jobs
[Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]

Bullfighting Ends in Catalonia, Spain

Bullfighting has come to an end in northeastern Spain. Fans in the region of Catalonia saw their last fights on September 25. The actual ban comes into effect on the first of January, 2012, but Sunday’s fighting was the last of the season. Over 20,000 spectators packed Barcelona's Monumental arena to see this age-old spectacle performed in the city for the last time. Spain’s top matadors performed at the historic event, which sold out at record speed. One matador, Julian Lopez, told the AP news agency: “This is such a beautiful arena, with a lot of tradition both for bullfighters and this national celebration.” Despite this, bullfighting at the arena has been on the decline, with smaller and smaller crowds each year.Catalonia decided to ban bullfighting last year after 180,000 people signed a petition against it. They argued the corrida* was barbaric. Opponents of the ban believe they have a chance of getting it overturned next year. Bull breeder, Moeses Fraele said: "I think the politicians will think twice about the ban and bullfighting will live on. And thank God because Catalonia has plenty of serious bullfighting fans.” He added that, “in a democratic country [fans] should be able to go to a bullfight." Catalonia is the first mainland region in Spain to ban bullfighting. The age-old sport has been part of Spanish life for centuries. It has been held at La Maestranza arena in Seville since 1765. There are dozens of bullrings across the country. (Breaking News)

Learning English

Adele

Adele’s full name is Adele Laurie Blue Adkins.
She shot to fame in 2008 when her debut single Chasing Pavements.
In 2011 her single Rolling in the Deep topped the US charts for seven weeks whilst Someone Like You went to number one in the UK.
Both singles came from the album 21 which topped charts from New Zealand to Norway selling millions of copies worldwide. (CBBC - Music)

£1 million reward put up to find Colonel Gaddafi

Anti-government fighters in Libya have put up a reward of £1 million to capture the country's leader Colonel Gaddafi.
No one knows where Col Gaddafi is but lots of people think he is still in the capital Tripoli.
Col Gaddafi has been told he'd be able to leave the country safely if he stepped down as leader.
But some people think he'd rather be captured than hand over power to the anti-government fighters.
Col Gaddafi's supporters are in control of some cities in Libya including the coastal city of Sirte as well as Sabha in the south of the country. (CBBC Newsround)

Amy Winehouse Dies, Aged 27

Singer Amy Winehouse has been found dead at her home in London on Saturday, July the 23rd. The award-winning artist was just 27 years old, the same age as Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin. Winehouse shot to worldwide fame and acclaim following the release of her album Back to Black in 2006, which won five Grammy awards and became the third-highest selling album of the 2000s. She had spent years battling alcohol and drug addiction. This and other demons in her personal life affected her ability to perform live and she was booed offstage for appearing too drunk to perform in 2011. She sang about her addictions and attempts to beat them in her smash hit Rehab, an example of her gritty and honest songwriting. (Breaking News English ESL)

What is 'drought'?

Most of us think of droughts as when there's no rain at all. But actually they can happen when there's less rain than people thought there would be.
It usually happens over months or even years, when an area, like East Africa, doesn't have a big enough water supply.

Unlike other natural disasters, droughts happen very slowly over time.

What are the effects of drought?

Droughts can be very dangerous for people living in areas with not enough food or water. Deaths can happen from lack of food and water, and there are lots of health problems too.

When there's not enough water, crops fail, which means there isn't enough food to go around.

It also means that farmers lose money, and the area can become very poor.

When a region is very poor and doesn't have enough food or water, arguments can happen over who should be able to access the goods, which can escalate into wars. (CBBC Newsround)

What is a 'famine'?

The United Nations has declared that parts of Somalia in east Africa are suffering from a famine.The 'Horn of Africa' area is suffering its worst drought in 60 years.
But what does the term 'famine' mean?
The word famine is used to describe a hunger crisis at its worse.

Famine is the most serious of five phases that are used by the UN and most aid agencies.

Certain requirements have to be met for a situation to be called a famine. These include:

• At least 20% of the population doesn't have enough food for the average person to lead a healthy life (2,100 kilocalories a day)
• There is acute malnutrition in more than 30 percent of children
• And there are two deaths per 10,000 people every day, or four child deaths per 10,000 children every day (CBBC Newsround)

The Destruction of Pompeii

WHO Says One Billion People Disabled

A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) says the proportion of disabled people in the world is rising. It estimates around 15 per cent of the global population has some form of disability – that’s one billion people. This figure has increased from 10 per cent in the 1970s. The World Report on Disability says about one in five of the 15 per cent, nearly 200 million, suffer from a severe disability. WHO director-general Dr Margaret Chan warned: "In the years ahead, disability will be an even greater concern…due to ageing populations and the higher risk of disability in older people as well as the global increase in chronic health conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and mental health disorders."
One of the most worrying conclusions of the report is that the disabled are more likely to face discrimination in the future. The WHO says the disabled will have greater problems finding work and accessing healthcare. The report authors say disabled people are three times more likely to be denied healthcare than other people in developed countries. The WHO’s Tom Shakespeare said: "The clear message from the report is that there is no country that has got it right.” Dr Chan said: “Almost every one of us will be permanently or temporarily disabled at some point in life. We must do more to break the barriers which segregate people with disabilities, in many cases forcing them to the margins of society." (Breaking News English)

More schools need sun safety plans, say experts

There's nothing better than messing about in the sunshine at break time. But some experts are worried that schools aren't doing enough to keep pupils safe from the sun's rays.
A recent survey has found that almost half of all school children had suffered sunburn when they were in the playground.
A skin care charity is asking the government to help them put rules in place to make all schools follow a 'sun safety' guide in the summer.

The charity, Skin Cancer UK is also asking for special sun safety lessons to be taught in the classroom to try to make sure that more kids can avoid getting caught out by the sun.

Some schools have been refusing to make sure that pupils have enough sun cream on before they go out at break as they think that it isn't their responsibility.

However parents are worried that if they put sun cream on their children before they go to school, it might wear off before the end of the day.

Sun experts reckon that it's best to reapply sun cream every two hours when out in the sun. (CBBC Newsround)

Scientists discover the secret to how penguins leap

We all know that penguins have happy feet - but scientists now reckon they've discovered the secret behind how penguins can fly into the air. The animals can't use their wings to flap into flight like other birds, but that doesn't stop them from being able to leap in the air to escape from danger.
Experts have found out that they're able to wrap their bodies in a cloak of air bubbles which help them to fly fast out of the water.
Penguin feathers collect tiny bubbles when they're swimming, creating a layer of air around the animal which meams that they can swim fast enough to fly out of the sea and into the air!

Scientists use the same technique when designing torpedoes and boats but didn't realise that penguins were using the same idea!

Smaller penguins like the Adelie can leap up to a huge 2-3 metres, but larger species like the Emperor can only propel themselves up to 45cm.

Scientists think that without the bubbles, the animals would have big problems getting out of the water because of their little bodies and big wings.

Experts reckon that the creatures' special talent is crucial in keeping them safe from predators. (CBBC Newsround)

The bubbles help the birds leap out of the water

Nationalities and Countries

Las Islas Cíes, Galicia, Spain

Mention Spanish beaches and most people instinctively think of the Mediterranean. Yet the wilder, stunning Atlantic coastline of Galicia, just north of Portugal, has far more dramatic praias – with far fewer people on them. One of the jewels of this coast is on Las Islas Cíes, a 40-minute boat trip from the pretty town of Baiona. Once a pirates' haunt, Cíes is now an uninhabited and pristine national park, open to the public only in summer. Galegos come here to spend long, lazy summer days on the Praia das Rodas, a perfect crescent of soft, pale sand backed by small dunes sheltering a calm lagoon of crystal-clear sea.
Locals call this their "Caribbean beach", and the water is turquoise enough, the sand white enough to believe the comparison … until you dip your toe in the water. Then it feels more like kegness.  
You can sleep in an idyllic campsite, shaded by tall pine trees, with a view over the ocean. And,      this being Spain, there's even a proper restaurant serving great seafood.
Where to stay: Camping Islas Cíes is open Easter week and June-September. (guardian.co.uk)

Giving Directions

South Korea to Swap Textbooks for Tablets

South Korea’s government has announced ambitious plans to revolutionize school classrooms and provide the world’s first “smart education” system. It intends to digitize all textbooks in all schools by 2015. This means bulky, paper-based books are out and handheld tablets and e-readers are in. First in line to go digital are elementary schools, which will switch to online devices by 2014. South Korea’s Ministry of Education says it will invest $2.4 billion to create and deliver the e-learning and mobile-learning materials. Education Minister Lee Ju Ho explained the need to ensure teachers are sufficiently trained in using the new tech in class. "It's very important to make sure that the two can work together,” he said.
The Ministry has not yet made a decision on which make of products it will bring into the classroom. Many industry experts predict it will opt for Korean-made devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy Tab rather than gadgets from international rivals Apple or Sony. In addition to digital content in the classroom, the Ministry is also hoping to make online classes available for students who miss lessons. South Korea is well known for its embrace of technology and high-speed Internet. A Ministry official stated: “Korean students have ranked first in terms of digital literacy among developed nations…That’s why Korean students, who are already fully prepared for digital society, need a [major] shift in education.” (Breaking News English)

Telling the Time

Joe Jonas has said that the Jonas Brothers are NOT splitting up

Joe's just released his first ever solo single called See No More and rumours started spreading that it meant the group had decided to call it a day.
But Joe said: "We're definitely still a band and we'll be a band for as long as we can. We'll make music when the time's right. We're not splitting up."

He described his solo album as a dream come true, and said his brothers are really supportive.

"My brothers' support is the biggest thing for me. I text them quite a bit. They're happy for me to do other stuff." (CBBC Newsround)

Two-headed snake living in Stuttgart, Germany

Ever imagined you'd see a two-headed snake in your life time, outside the cinema at least?
No, nor did we, but here is reptile and amphibian shop owner Stefan Broghammer holding a Royal python which was born with two heads.

The snake was born a year ago, and has two spinal cords and two heads - and they're both active.

The reptile has no physical problems or defects says Broghammer, and even manages to eat and digest food easily. (CBBC Newsround)

10 million starving in Horn of Africa

A humanitarian crisis is developing in the Horn of Africa and the world seems to be just watching. Up to 10 million people in Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia are starving because of a severe drought. A lack of rain means they have no food. At the Dadaab refugee camp in east Kenya, 1,000 people arrive each day. Some are close to death when they arrive. They receive some food and very basic medical care. The camp director predicts as many as half a million refugees will come. He asked the world to help before a bigger disaster happens.
One aid worker believes the world doesn’t care, telling the BBC: “We were supposed to have an early warning system but what is the point of warning the rest of world when it doesn't listen?” Another aid worker has to try and stop mothers letting their younger children die to give food to the older ones. "Some families had already prepared children for death and we had to…tell them: ‘No, this is not possible, this child is still alive and he can make it…It's hard but sometimes we win,” he said. (News English Lessons)

Edward Hopper

The emotionally charged work of Edward Hopper, American Realist and the swinging music of Benny Goodman. With some quotes and a poem thrown in for good measure!

Easy Snack Recipes For Kids

J.K. Rowling Announces Pottermore

J.K. Rowling Announces Harry Potter Site

 

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has unveiled the latest addition to her hugely successful fictional phenomenon - a website called Pottermore.com. The new site will be officially online from October 2011, but people who sign up for it now have the chance of a sneak preview before then. The official online announcement reads: “Pottermore is a free website that builds an exciting online experience around the reading of the Harry Potter books.” The site will include a considerable amount of unpublished material about Harry Potter, that Ms Rowling had to leave out of her books to keep the word count down. The author says there will be a lot of new info on the characters’ backgrounds and on wizardly locations.
J.K. Rowling says she is starting Pottermore to thank her fans. "I wanted to give something back to the fans that have followed Harry so devotedly over the years, and to bring the stories to a new digital generation,” she said. There is currently no official Harry Potter website, although there are hugely popular sites run by fans, such as mugglenet.com and the-leaky-cauldron.org, as well as the Warner Brothers movie site. Pottermore will allow fans to interact with Rowling and create new content together. She said: "I hope fans and those new to Harry will have as much fun helping to shape Pottermore as I have." She added that fans, “will be able to enjoy a safe, unique online reading experience built around the books”. (Breaking News English)

World’s Longest Bridges Open in China

China opened four of the world’s six longest bridges on July the 1st. They are part of the country’s high-speed rail network between Shanghai and Beijing. Two of the bridges are the longest ever built. The Jiaozhou Bay bridge is now the world's longest over-water bridge at 42.5 kilometres. The local Communist party secretary Li Qun said at the opening ceremony: “It is a magnificent and very advanced bridge. It is another stepping stone in the city's smooth and rapid development.”
The cost of the bridge is somewhere between $1.5 and $2.3 billion, although some estimates put the figure at nearly $9 billion. The engineers who built it say it is earthquake-proof and typhoon-proof. It is also strong enough to be hit by a 300,000-ton ship. As well as the Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway, the bridge will carry around 30,000 cars a day. The new bridges are an important part of China’s efforts to reduce its traffic problems. Eleven of the world's 15 longest bridges are now located in China. (Breaking News English)

Marilyn Monroe Dress Sells For $4.6 Million

The dress worn by Marilyn Monroe in one of the most famous photos of her has been sold for $4.6 million. The image of Ms. Monroe’s white dress being lifted well above her knees by air coming from the subway below her is one of Hollywood’s most memorable. She wore the dress in the classic 1955 movie The Seven Year Itch. As the gust of wind lifted it, she said: "Oh, do you feel the breeze from the subway? Isn't it delicious?" The dress was sold by Hollywood legend Debbie Reynolds, who bought all of Monroe's wardrobe in 1971. Ms. Reynold’s decided to sell it, along with hundreds more items of Hollywood memorabilia, because it became too expensive to keep. She had failed to find a museum that would look after the entire collection.

The auction price set two records. It beat the $1.26 million paid for the dress Monroe wore when she sang "Happy Birthday" to President John F. Kennedy, and it became the most expensive film costume ever sold. The legendary dress was created by designer William Travilla. He said: “I wondered what I could do with this most beautiful girl that Marilyn was to play to make her look clean, talcum-powdered, and adorable.” In fact, the wind-blown image further elevated Monroe as one of the biggest sex symbols ever. Bare flesh in movies was a rare commodity in the early 1950s. The photo of Monroe trying to keep her modesty intact by stopping the wind from revealing more of her legs made the movie a smash hit. (Breaking News English)

Greek Salad

Confusing Words

Emperor penguin from Antarctic on New Zealand beach

Did you hear about the penguin from the Antarctic that turned up thousands of miles away in New Zealand?
It sounds like a joke - but that's what's just happened.
A woman walking her dog on the beach saw the young emperor penguin, which are usually found in the Antarctic.
It's the first official sighting of an Emperor penguin in New Zealand in 44 years. It's thought the bird took a wrong turn when it was at sea hunting for food - and ended up getting lost!
The visitor has attracted crowds of onlookers, who are being advised not to disturb the penguin and keep their dogs on leads.
Experts say the bird is about 10 months old and 80cm tall.
Emperor penguins are the tallest and largest of all penguin species, growing up to 122cm high and weighing more than 34kg! (CBBC- Newsround)

Where Holiday Traditions Come From

Believe it or not, there was once a time when there was no Santa, no Christmas gifts, no menorah, no Valentine's Day, and no New Year's Eve ball drop. So where did they come from? Well, in the case of Christmas, the holiday we know now is believed to be a melding of both a celebration of the birth of Christ and earlier, pagan winter celebrations like Saturnalia, the Roman sun-god holiday of Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, and the Germanic Yule. (Life - Your World in Pictures)

The Truth About Climate Change

Stonehenge

Arnold Schwarzenegger

It was the ultimate testosterone-filled American Dream. A kid from a modest background in Austria moves to Hollywood, and turns a burgeoning career in bodybuilding into a series of increasingly successful movie deals -- and himself into a major Hollywood star. And, having conquered Tinseltown, he then marries into American royalty and is elected governor of California -- amid buzz of a a Constitutional amendment allowing him to run for the White House. In May 2011, much of that American Dream fell apart for Arnold Schwarzenegger when his wife, Maria Shriver, separated from him, and he admitted to having fathered a child with a member of his household staff. But in the beginning, there was just Arnold, his muscles, and his dreams of success. (Life - Your World in Pictures)

Carrot cake with lime mascarpone icing

Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Grease and line a 22cm-square cake tin or a round equivalent with greaseproof paper. Beat the butter and sugar together by hand or in a food processor until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks one by one, and add the orange zest and juice. Stir in the sifted flour and baking powder, and add the ground almonds, walnuts, spices and grated carrot and mix together well.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, then gently fold them into the cake mix. Scoop the mixture into the prepared cake tin and cook in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes until golden and risen. You can check to see if the cake is cooked by poking a cocktail stick into it. Remove it after 5 seconds and if it comes out clean the cake is cooked; if slightly sticky, it needs a bit longer, so put it back in the oven. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn it out on to a rack and rest for at least an hour.
Mix all the icing ingredients together and spread generously over the top of the cake. Finish off with a sprinkling of chopped walnuts.

Ingredients                                                                             

• 250g unsalted butter, softened
• 250g light brown soft sugar
• 5 large eggs, preferably free-range or organic, separated
• zest and juice of 1 orange
• 170g self-raising flour, sifted
• 1 slightly heaped teaspoon baking powder
• 100g ground almonds
• 100g shelled walnuts, chopped, plus a handful for serving
• 1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon
• a pinch of ground cloves
• a pinch of ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 250g carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
sea salt

For the lime mascarpone icing:
• 100g mascarpone cheese
• 200g full-fat cream cheese
• 85g icing sugar, sifted
• zest and juice of 2 limes
(Jamie Oliver)

Beijing, China: Center of the World

One of the world's oldest major capitals still serving as the national hub today, Beijing -- or Peking or Yanjing, depending on who you speak to -- is the heart and brain of China itself, and has been so for centuries. First settled about a quarter million years ago, it is home to some 20 million people over 3,000 square miles, and to so many temples and structures of great historical and cultural significance that it truly earns its nickname of the Celestial City. (Life - Your World in Pictures)

A World Divided

From 1961 to 1989, the Berlin Wall was the literal manifestation

of a world divided by the Cold War—a concrete barrier, eventually

12-feet high at points, demarcating East and West Berlin, and by

extension, the Soviet and Western worlds. Patrolled by armed

guards, eerily clean and white on its Eastern side, covered with

graffiti on its Western face, the Wall turned West Berlin into a

veritable island of democracy in the middle of a Soviet client state,

and served as a mute, and seemingly immutable, reminder of how

tenuous peace between East and West really was. (Life - Your World
in Pictures) 

Southpaws Throughout History

Even though they say only something like 10 percent of the world's population

is left handed, there has been a surprising amount of world leaders and iconic

figures throughout history who have been southpaws. On the list are Napoleon,

baseball slugger Reggie Jackson, and of course, U.S. President Barack Obama

(seen here playing ping pong with fellow lefty, British Prime Minister

David Cameron). (Life - Yur World in Pictures)